


New Reality (Isn't so bad after all)

by Hellokaelyn



Series: Ellick Week [4]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:55:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23830408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellokaelyn/pseuds/Hellokaelyn
Summary: Federal Agent turned teacher, Nick's life changed drastically following the events of what happened.Life doesn't always go how you want or expect, but it's a new reality he comes to love.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres, Kasie Hines & Nick Torres
Series: Ellick Week [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711291
Comments: 17
Kudos: 49





	New Reality (Isn't so bad after all)

**Author's Note:**

> ellick week day 4 a day late!  
> AU free for all.
> 
> Honestly the summary is better than the actual fic lmao

Becoming a teacher wasn't his first choice of a career, or his second, third, fourth- essentially it was low down on his list if asked all those years ago what he wanted to be.

Life though, doesn't always work out how you want it to. 

Nick could remember the thrill of being a federal agent like it was yesterday. Always on his feet ready to jump into action. He knew the risks from the start, but you never actually  _ think _ about it happening until the moment you're staring death in the face with your life flashing before your eyes. He considered himself unstoppable for so long, boasting his own self-confidence to the highest height, but reality came crashing into him like a freight train.  _ There was nothing you could've done;  _ he was told multiple times in the hospital and again when he turned in his badge, Nick tried to believe it, told himself the same thing millions of times in his head and out loud.

With his new reality, it meant a lot of other careers he imagined himself to be in, jobs that involved physicality to that same degree weren't possible- and if Nick was honest to himself, his near death experience rattled him. So he settled for a new career path that was  _ safe _ and one where there wouldn't be too many deep questions on his past career and why he walked with a limp (a cane too on his bad days). Teaching an older crowd seemed the most logical considering kids weren't really his thing, but preteens and teenagers were curious and nosy- kids on the other hand while curious, settled for easy explanations without needing details. 

It didn't take long for him to realize he had a soft spot for the small humans he taught, and shockingly didn't mind teaching even if it meant speaking in funny voices and ending the day cleaning sticky surfaces that shouldn't have been sticky in the first place.

His hard shell softened and his cold heart melted the longer he taught. With every smile paired with a 'Mr. Torres', handmade cards, and the excitement for just getting a gold star next to their names on the chart. 

It helped that not only was it the five and six year olds he taught, but the other teachers and staff that worked at the school. Nick for the first time in years had  _ real _ friends.

His life was surprisingly going perfect and he didn't  _ need _ anything else.

Or at least that was the case before a new year started and along with that came new students—and new parents.

Things changed a lot for him since everything happened. His career, where he lived, how he spent his free time- his dating life. Nick, a once self-proclaimed ‘ladies man’, hadn't dated anyone in a long time. He tried at first, tested the waters, but he either would receive pitying looks once they realized he was  _ damaged  _ or disinterest after they witnessed it. In time he came to terms with it, turning down the single moms who flirted, and deleting his dating profile. Instead he focused his time on the group of kids depending on him to learn. 

So when little Elaine on the first day of school came bouncing in holding the hand of the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, Nick found himself completely and utterly  _ stunned _ . 

Eleanor Bishop, or Ellie as she preferred, was not only beautiful but Nick found in the following four months she was ridiculously smart, kind, funny, and if he could go off the stories Elaine told about her mom’s family, she was family-oriented as a bonus. It'd been a long time since Nick turned on the charm- and while he still had it, she was different than any other, he knew she was special in a rare kind of way and so he found it threw him for a loop. 

“Morning Mr. Torres!” Elaine shouted brightly that Monday morning, with the normal bounce in her step. 

“Morning Elaine.” He smiled at her, before he chuckled noticing a strand of hot pink hair mixed with her regular blonde locks. “You look like you had fun over the weekend.”

Elaine beamed at him. “Mommy said it looked  _ real _ !”

“It does! I think you’ll be the talk of the class.” Nick winked making her grin wider if possible. 

“I gotta go show Morgan!” With a squeal of excitement, she took off toward the small hooks to place her bag on before skipping to the table where her friends Morgan, Johnny, and Victoria were gathered around. 

Nick shook his head with a laugh. “How does she have so much energy all the time?”

“From me apparently.” Ellie shook her head. “But I don’t remember ever having  _ that _ much energy.” 

“And the pink hair?” He asked, moving with her towards the door. 

Ellie rolled her eyes. “My brothers came into town this weekend, Robbie insisted these fake clips of hair were  _ all the rage _ .”

“Who even says that anymore?” Nick let out a snort, making her laugh softly. 

His stomach flipped at the sound causing a warm feeling to spread through his chest just like it always did when he made her laugh. 

“Trust me, I’ve questioned his sanity many times.” She teased with a smile before looking to see the last of his students already arrived. “I should probably go.”

Nick resisted the urge to sigh or tell her to stay knowing she couldn’t. “Uh yeah- I’ll see you later for pick up.” 

Ellie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking down at the ground for a second before smiling at him. “See you later..Nick.” Looking back at Elaine who was with her little friends, she turned back to send him one last curve of her lips before leaving.

He let out a breath, watching her walk down the hall.

It was the throat clearing that made him jump snapping out of it. He spun around to glare at his best friend Kasie who taught across the hall smirking at him.

_ Just ask her out already _ she mouthed, gesturing wildly towards Ellie who exited the building.

_ No _ he mouthed back with a glare before turning back into his classroom shutting the door behind him.

“Alright little monsters! I want to hear all about your weekend-”

* * *

He groaned out loud later during lunch when he walked in the teacher's lounge to find Kasie practically bouncing in her seat. 

“Are we really going to do this again?” He huffed, moving around her to the fridge grabbing his lunch. Carefully sitting down into the seat across from her at the table, he looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“Um  _ yes _ because you still haven’t done it!”

“I can’t ask her out Kasie!” Nick groaned once more, stabbing his fork into a strawberry making her wait till he chewed to say more. “She’s the parent of one of my students! You know not only does the school board frown upon it, but if I somehow screwed it up?”

“Okay first-” With a roll of her eyes she held up one finger, adding more as she went. “-Forget the school board they hardly notice anything unless it directly affects the school, second who says you’ll screw it up? You don’t give yourself enough credit Nick! Third, there’s only a little more than 4 months of the school year left, I’m sure nothing will go wrong and make things awkward while Elaine is still in your class.”

“I don’t even know if she’s interested!” Nick harshly whispered, leaning forward. 

Kasie groaned loudly, making the other teachers in the room look at them. Nick avoided their eyes. “Nick! That woman is  _ so _ into you!” He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off holding up her hand. “And you can’t pull that BS about your leg seeing as how Ellie’s known and witnessed it herself practically every day for the last four months, she doesn’t care.”

Shoving his lunch aside, he dropped his head onto his arms on the table with a sigh. 

“Look dude, I know I didn’t know you back when you had all this swagger and confidence but I know your self-esteem took a major hit after what happened and I understand it to a degree, but don’t let it stop you from being happy and going for what you want.”

“And when she realizes there’s more to it than just a busted leg?” He mumbled into his arms, sighing in frustration at himself.

Her eyes softened, hand coming out to squeeze his arm. “Scars remind us where we’ve been, but they don’t have to dictate where we’re going.”

“...You just stole that from Criminal Minds didn’t you?”

“Oh shut up, it still applies!”

* * *

Nick debated with himself for a while on what to do, leaning more towards waiting for the school year to end to be on the safe side—turns out, life again decided to bust in and take hold instead.

Because exactly two weeks later Nick found himself blurting it out.

“Elliewillyougoonadatewithme?”

He cringed as the words left his mouth in a nervous awkward rush.

Ellie blinked at him in shock, mouth opened just slightly with a light blush to her cheeks. 

Okay so maybe asking her out after running into her at the grocery store wasn’t the most romantic. 

“Are you-” A smile slowly started to spread across her face. “Did you just ask me on a date?”

Nick swallowed roughly and nodded, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans. “Yes. So uh- do you? ..Wanna go on a date?

“Nick-” Ellie laughed, a laugh he never heard before that sounded close to a giggle. “I’d love to.”

“Look I’m sorry if- ...wait did you just say yes?”

Her laugh filled the freezer aisle they were standing in, right in front of the ice cream he’d remember, making hope spread through his chest. Ellie nodded, biting her lip. “I did.”

“And it’s not I don’t know, weird with me being your daughter’s teacher?”

Tilting her head slightly to the side, an amused smile formed. “Nick, I’ve been waiting for you to ask me out for months.”

“Wha- hey wait a second!” He pointed his finger at her, a playful glare thrown her way. “You could’ve just asked me out yourself!”

“Hmm.” Ellie gave him a teasing smirk. “I don’t know, watching you squirm was sometimes too much fun.”

“Well that’s just  _ rude _ .” He huffed only making her laugh once more. 

She let out a giggle, tucking hair behind her ear that he noticed she did a lot in his presence- now it made him wonder if she did it  _ because _ of him. “How about we start that date now?” She asked. 

“What about Elaine?” Nick asked, though he honestly didn’t mind if their date involved the little girl that captured his heart just like her mother. 

“She’s with her father tonight...so?”

Nick grinned. “Let the date begin.”


End file.
